GDT: The Alberta Election 2012 - The Morning After - PC Majority Government

[Swoosh2010]

Just my take ...

Albertans are socially progressive (even moreso than 10-15 years ago), that's something I don't think the Wildrose Party understood and they paid the price for it.

Most in Alberta don't want religion shoved down their throats (fine to worship whatever you please, just don't go around pushing it on others and certainly don't go around judging others to eternal damnation ... that's a no-no). Most in Alberta don't want to be lectured on abortion. Most in Alberta don't want someone pitting one ethnicity against others. We work together, play together, no one wants to support a party that divides Albertans.

Certainly there may be sceptics on global warming, but at the same time, not many want an openly anti-science POV. This is not the American south.


Wild Rose party = the guy at the bar who thinks he's doing great with the hot girl and figures he has a shot, but really she's going to be going home with her ex-boyfriend at the end of the night and she knows it.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by photon

So you kinda lose direct representation, the idea that person X will represent me well so I'll vote for them.. or person Y is crazy so I'll vote for someone else even though person Y is on the party I like...

It does dispense with the polite fiction of the direct representation though, people mostly vote for the party anyway, and votes are pretty much along party lines.

Interesting.

There are some 'hybird' PR models as well, if that is what you would call them, where you vote for the person in your riding and then the top vote winning % candidates for each party get in.

[Rutuu]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

Calgary is as white collar as it gets in North America. Edmonton is kind of Canada's Seattle.

In all seriousness, over the decades people move to Calgary to become accountants or the like. Over the decades people move to Edmonton for more blue collar jobs. Obviously not exclusively but as a trend. more field work up there, more head offices down here.

You make up for it later in your comment, but this is the single most insulting thing I've ever read printed about Seattle and the US's Pacific Northwest.

[normtwofinger]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

Calgary is as white collar as it gets in North America. Edmonton is kind of Canada's Seattle.

In all seriousness, over the decades people move to Calgary to become accountants or the like. Over the decades people move to Edmonton for more blue collar jobs. Obviously not exclusively but as a trend. more field work up there, more head offices down here.

Seriously?! In Calgary, who builds all the urban sprawl? Who builds and renovates the office/condo towers downtown? I guess the accountants do it.

[LChoy]

Just my perception from talking to my parents.
With prosperity, more and more immigrants and those of different cultures have been moving to Alberta, and those people didn't feel represented by the Wildrose. Those comments about being a white candidate really didn't help the WR, as my family and a lot of the Chinese community were galvanize to vote PC or the Libs to prevent a WR majority.

[SportsJunky]

I'm not in the habit of quoting myself but...here is what I posted earlier yesterday:

My informal poll over the weekend shows a dramatic shift (among the savages I hang out with mind you) to PC from WRA in the last few days. I voted this morning and it was very dead by the way.

It seemed that the last week or so really hurt the WRP and , at least in my circles, moved people back to their PC comfort zone.

[HotHotHeat]

Originally Posted by normtwofinger

Seriously?! In Calgary, who builds all the urban sprawl? Who builds and renovates the office/condo towers downtown? I guess the accountants do it.

I don't understand why you disagree with his post. Edmonton is much less corporate than Calgary. It's just a demographic.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I still cannot believe what a slaughter it turned out to be. The Wildrose is obviously going to have to shift themselves more to the center if they ever want to be competitive in the cities (winning 2 out of 44 is pretty telling of that). In fact I'd argue the Liberals and NDP might have a better chance going forward because they can actually win in the cities (as evidence by both getting more seats than the WR).

Seemingly everything was set up for the Wildrose, they almost couldn't write a better set of circumstances leading up to the election, and they failed to cash in. Much like the Canucks last year where everything set up for them and then a riot happened, I wonder if Danielle and company won't be ruing the one that got away for a long time.

I'd also like to congratulate Alison Redford on becoming the first female elected premier in Alberta history.

[llama64]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Redford was the real change candidate, the Wildrose was what once was will be again.

This election signifies a NEW face of Alberta rising. The PC party is being transformed, reverted back to it's original "progressive" self - a return to Red Tory. Slowly the power is starting to come back to the urban centers (the same base that elected the PC's in the seventies). Alberta doesn't want to have our social, economic and political future set by a bunch of rural bumpkins who want to erect a giant wall around the province and stick their feet in the ground on issues of international importance.

The corrupt PC's - yeah those are the good ol'boys that emerged under Getty and Klein. The fact that the "Klein" camp flocked to the Wild Rose tells that story better then anyone can explain it. (can't tell you how happy I am that Morton is out)

The Redford PC's are a significant change - a retro-fresh take on conservatism and maturity that Alberta was crying out for. We chose the correct voice to lead us on the national and international stage for the next 4 years.

The key point for me was during the CBC leader's forum on the topic of climate change. Smith continued her blithering about how the science isn't totally agreed on (someone needs to explain to her how "science" works...). Redford on the other hand astonished me by pointing out that it doesn't matter what the status of science is - only that climate change is a significant issue on the world stage and Alberta NEEDS an answer for it. Arguing it's validity would just make Alberta look intellectually backward and lose us business. An incredibly intelligent view point from a politician - were I in Calgary Elbow she would have won my vote right there (FTR, I did not vote PC).

Frankly, I'm extremely happy with this result despite living in yet another Conservative majority. And I'm even happier to be living in the urban centre that led this surge. I have a renewed sense of optimism in my province and am glad I can tell my uppity eastern friends to shut up now about crazies in Alberta.

[Senator Clay Davis]

So some of the worst predictions (in hindsight of course) about last night

- Redford being in a dogfight in her riding was hilariously wrong (won 2-1)
- The Wildrose sweeping the rurals (barely won half)
- Liberals winning 0 or 1 seat (won 5, including more in Calgary than Edmonton)

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by llama64

The corrupt PC's - yeah those are the good ol'boys that emerged under Getty and Klein. The fact that the "Klein" camp flocked to the Wild Rose tells that story better then anyone can explain it. (can't tell you how happy I am that Morton is out)

Ya, the Klien and Getty good ol boys have taken a hit. Morton gone, Mar soon to be purged (Redford made a mistake giving him an olive branch, he took it and tried to sell it for kick backs...), "Rod Love"' et al.

Hopefully this is at least a new start. The wrong start would have been the ol boys club of opportunists who ran over to the Wildrose, and used their media/pollster connections to push a majority down our throats. Now they wake up today, all of them, with egg on their face. I couldn't be happier.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by llama64

The Redford PC's are a significant change - a retro-fresh take on conservatism and maturity that Alberta was crying out for. We chose the correct voice to lead us on the national and international stage for the next 4 years.

Frankly, I think we can only pray she doesn't screw up too badly. We're already seeing her social agenda - punishing you for your sins - and now we have to figure out who gets to pay for all of her pet projects.

Redford is no shining beacon of light in the darkness. At the very best, she was simply the least repugnant out of a bad bunch for many Albertans.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I must say the far-right columnist reaction this morning has been pretty disappointing. I was hoping for some outlandish and crazy columns, but its mostly humble pie which I guess makes sense when you think you're about to deliver an ass-kicking only to get your own ass kicked. They're all obviously bitter, but not crazy enough for my liking.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

So some of the worst predictions (in hindsight of course) about last night

- Redford being in a dogfight in her riding was hilariously wrong (won 2-1)
- The Wildrose sweeping the rurals (barely won half)
- Liberals winning 0 or 1 seat (won 5, including more in Calgary than Edmonton)

Most crazy of all was the WR winning fewer seats in Calgary (2) than the Liberals (3). I don't think anyone saw that coming.

[Senator Clay Davis]

No doubt, I mean what were we talking as worst case for Wildrose in Calgary? Maybe 7 or 8 seats? How wrong we (and the polls) were.

[You Need a Thneed]

In Calgary McCall, with 62 of 64 reporting, it was:

Galpin - Wildrose: 2601
Kang - Liberal: 2291
Rasheed - PC: 2118

It ended up:

Kang: 3854
Galpin: 3183
Rasheed: 3093

Meaning that the last two polls alone (advance polls) were:

Kang: 1563
Rasheed: 975
Galpin: 582

[La Flames Fan]

I'm getting a kick out of the comments on the Sun website. Reminds me of a Flames PGT, but worse.

Alberta now has a left wing government. God help us all. John 11 : 35 Jesus wept.

I hate to say it, but my province is filled with a whole whack of losers. Half of you are too stunned to get off your ass to vote, and the most of the other half were too stupid to vote something other than PC. All good with having your money siphoned off so someone else can tell you what your going to do with it eh? Nice, real nice. Pathetic. Now watch Redford vote herself another 30% raise. Hey teachers get a 500 dollar tax credit. Why? Because, they're teachers. Not sure where the hell mine is. Pathetic.

[North East Goon]

If Redford does continue her free spending ways, expect some of her more fiscally conservative members cross the floor to the WRP. If she does a good job, then there is no problem. The one killer for her would be if she introduces a PST.

[Ashartus]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I must say the far-right columnist reaction this morning has been pretty disappointing. I was hoping for some outlandish and crazy columns, but its mostly humble pie which I guess makes sense when you think you're about to deliver an ass-kicking only to get your own ass kicked. They're all obviously bitter, but not crazy enough for my liking.

Corbella's column in the Herald wasn't exactly humble pie - she was whining about how the liberals have taken over and are going to ruin everything, and somehow managed to work in her usual anti-Quebec sentiments as well.

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

In Calgary McCall, with 62 of 64 reporting, it was:

Galpin - Wildrose: 2601
Kang - Liberal: 2291
Rasheed - PC: 2118

It ended up:

Kang: 3854
Galpin: 3183
Rasheed: 3093

Meaning that the last two polls alone (advance polls) were:

Kang: 1563
Rasheed: 975
Galpin: 582

Did you see them practically shove that caucasian fellow behind Kang during his interview with Global? I guess they didnt want to look like a one ethnic race vote being done for him?